Last year i did my first craft show on a shoe string budget. Tables and a popup tent are not going to cut it for the better shows. I built this display to break down flat so it could fit in the back of my jeep liberty with just enough room for my totes.Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to or

My two cents the circular stands will be prone to being knocked over by customers walking by to look at the pieces on the shelves. If you still want to try them I'd find a way to secure them to each other, which would be much more stable. The tall hollow forms still could be knocked over.

They already are all connected together. each of the shorter tiers bolts to the tallest one. I am not set on the placement of the walls and stands. I just needed to get something mocked up for a picture so i could get some applications in.

Chris, your setup is very similar to mine. I'd be interested in knowing how you have your pedestals bolted together. Sounds like a good idea.

I've attached a picture here of my setup. Just a couple of thoughts/questions for you:1. Will you have storage behind your shelf wall?2. Do you have a space for doing your transactions and wrapping sold items?

In my setup, I have storage behind the long wall in back and the space behind the sshort wall I have a table setup that allows for wrapping and writing up receipts, etc. My short back wall and its attached side is made up of 3 panels and my long back wall and its attached side are made up of 5 panels. All panels, pedestals, tent, weights, table, chair and a few other things all fit in the back of my GMC Canyon pickup. All of our turnings fit in the extended cab portion of the truck. Which leaves just enough room for my wife and me

Your previous post was were i got some of the inspiration for my build. The tallest pedestal has 2 pieces of 3/4 plywood screwed to it with 2 bolt holes in the side that extends past the edge. The smaller pedestals have holes that align up. The pedestals are made in 2 pieces. Each piece has a 3/4" wide notch half way down the center and they slip together. The top has 8 pieces of wood on the bottom with a 3/4" gap to make a cross that fits snug on the top of the pedestal and squares it up. I plan on giving enough room behind the walls for a folding table. Here is a closeup of one of the pedestals.

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Chris, thanks for the picture of how you attached your pedestals. I'm "borrowing" that idea and will use it with my set up. One thing you may want to consider on your pedestals is to have a solid bottom piece for them to set on. The reason I say this is that in many shows you are not on level ground. It is easier to level a solid bottom piece than individual legs. It also makes it easier to hide the little pieces you use to level with. With that in mind, you should have a box of levelers to take with you when you do a show. My box contains regular wood shims as well as some scrap pieces that are 1/8", 1/4", 1/2", and even 3/4" thick. It is amazing how many of these pieces you will use to level your display. I also take a small level with me to help keep things lined up.

If you are getting ready to take pictures of your booth, a couple of suggestions for you: Set your tent up at home along with your display and turnings. When taking your pictures, you do not want shadows inside of your tent. You want a good consistent lighting throughout the entire tent. By setting it up at home, it will also give you an idea of what your booth looks like prior to a show and will allow you to make improvements in your display presentation. I find studying the pictures allows me to see things better than looking at the booth display itself. Once you get the picture you want for your applications, you can then use it as a reference guide for when you setup at a show. Get a nice indoor/outdoor type rug (got mine from one of the big box stores) and put that down inside of your tent. It gives the booth a little more professional appearance. (We use a rug whenever we setup on the street or in a parking lot. On grass, we do usually do not us a rug. We found it created too uneven a surface and was a tripping hazard.)

If you are applying to shows thru Zapplication or Entry Thingy it is really important to have high quality shots of your work as well as your booth. Poor quality photos are really easy reason for the jurors to reject your application. Remember, in the application process, you only get one chance to make a strong first impression.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions about photos, application process, or about shows.Steve

Thanks for the advice. That's the pic that went in with the application I was within days of the deadline. Go figure by the time I got everything setup the sun went away and heavy clouds rolled in. The item pics are quality ones I use on Etsy.

When I look at the first photo my first impression is "too dark." I would consider painting the shelves a lighter color like ivory or a light tan so the turnings stand out with more contrast against the background.

Chris, I find the gray, which is what I use in my booth, to be a nice contrast for the color of the turnings. I've had white and tan and did not like the way the turnings appeared with either color. I really found the tan to cause the definition on some of my turnings to become undefined. With the gray, even the dyed pieces look good. (Most of us don't dye our turnings gray, so not a problem with pieces disappearing.)

Good luck,Steve

How has your efforts at getting into some of the shows going? We did one at the end of March and then start hitting it hot and heavy beginning in May.

I am limited on weekends i can do shows. I am on call 2 weekends a month with my day job. Not to many shows line up with the weekends i am not on call. I did one last saturday that was a last minute thing because i didnt get into the better one this weekend. It was there first year and i dont think they advertised enough. It was slow all day and i only made 1 sale. Just enough to cover the entry fee. I have one in May and October that i did last year and it turned out good for me. Other then that i plan on going to some of the more expensive shows to see how the crowd is this year and see if they will be viable shows for next year.

When one is previewing a show, look to see how many of the public are carrying purchases, and the average asking prices at popular booths. Shows I've walked through seem mainly to sell jewelry or $10-25 birthday gifts. Quality matters, as long is the asking price is no more than $25.

Don, I have found those that people only want to spend $25 or so per purchase are usually classified as craft fairs and even arts and craft fairs. I have gotten to the point that I only do the shows that are solely listed as art fairs. I have done some that are in their first or second year. I figure someone has to help them get started and it has usually paid off with good sales.